Footballs

By Eric Geier

When American football was invented at Princeton University in 1867, the football used was a bloated, stubby ball, difficult to hold and even harder to throw. The ball they were using was similar to a rugby ball, because football was derived from rugby, which was played overseas. The rugby ball differs from an American football in a couple of ways. First, the two ends of a rugby ball are more rounded, because kicking the ball in rugby is done far more often and it is done every player during a game. The football has more pointed ends. The pointed ends on the football allow the ball to be more aerodynamic when it is thrown through the air. Early American football players didn’t need that pointed nose because the forward pass hadn’t been invented; the ball was run every single play. The second big difference between the two balls is the feel. A rugby ball has a smooth leather surface compared to the leather, dimpled surface of an American football. The reason they differ is because a rugby ball is not usually thrown over hand, they use a two-handed, under-hand heaving motion to pass the ball to their teammate. American football relies on the over-hand pass to get the ball to teammates, so grip is critical.

The term “pigskin” is still used at times to refer to the football, because, obviously, the first balls were covered in pigskin. In the early 1930’s American officials realized that making the ball out of pigskin was not a cost-efficient way of producing the balls, so they decided to ban pigskin from the process of making footballs. Now, footballs are made out of four pieces of leather, usually dyed brown, which are sewn together on the inside, then turned out. The inside of the football is a simple rubber bladder that can be inflated using a needle and air pump. Leather or plastic stitches are used to stitch up the outside, which also provides grip to the player hiking or passing the ball. NFL Regulations state that the ball must weigh 14-15 ounces and that the pressure per square inch (psi) must be between 12.5 and 13.5. The NFL adheres to these specific guidelines and if the ball doesn’t meet these requirements then they must find a new ball that does.

Footballs are one of the most popular sports memorabilia items on the market today. Footballs are made by a variety of companies, including, Rawlings and Wilson. Usually, the older the ball is, the more it is going to be worth. For example, having a ball from 1965 signed by Johnny Unitas would be worth much more than having a ball from 1995 signed by the same player. One way to advance a collection is to keep one football and get it signed by generation after generation of players from just one team. This is a great way to capitalize on the great players that come through a single city. It may be hard, but the longer the ball is held on to, the more valuable it is going to be in the future.

Did you mean, Rallings, Rawllings, Willson, Unitos or Unatis?